Sony has just announced the closure of Bluepoint Games, which has sparked a huge discussion in the PlayStation community. According to The Gamer, The studio is known for its remake and remaster projects of classic games, including Demon's Souls and Shadow of the Colossus. In a message widely shared on social media, PlayStation CEO Hermen Hulst explained the reason for the closure by attributing it to changing industry conditions and economic challenges.
Bluepoint Games was acquired by Sony in 2021 and over the years has been synonymous with reworking older games to high technical standards. The news of the studio's scheduled closure in March came under scrutiny because Bluepoint had a strong track record and a loyal fan base. Many players found this decision odd, especially since Bluepoint is often considered a “specialist” for remake and remaster projects in the PlayStation ecosystem.
PlayStation CEO Cites “Player Behavior” as a Major Cause
In his message, Hermen Hulst said that PlayStation is in an increasingly challenging industry environment. He alluded to rising development costs, slowing industry growth, changing player behavior, and economic headwinds as a factor that made it increasingly difficult to produce games sustainably. Afterward, Hulst declared Bluepoint to be closed, while still praising the team's talent and their technical contributions to the PlayStation community.
The reactions highlighted not only the business decision, but also the way it was delivered. Some players felt that an explanation that emphasized “player behavior” sounded like throwing some of the burden on the audience. The tone of the message was also deemed insensitive as it alluded to PlayStation's great achievements at the beginning, then moved on to the news of the studio's closure. This combination led the public to judge the communication as lacking empathy for the impact of the closure on workers and ongoing projects.
Strategy context: live-service project and studio direction
Another discussion that came up was about the direction of Bluepoint's work in recent times. There were reports that Bluepoint was working on a live-service God of War project that was later canceled. This raises the question of internal strategy: whether Sony is placing Bluepoint in the type of games that match their strengths. Ultimately, the issue is not just about the economics of the gaming industry, but also about studio management and consistency of decisions under PlayStation Studios.
